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The Alligator Circuit

kimi
Read and enjoyed Susie's post about loving the smell of hay, and the responses to it.  (I wanted to add this reply there, but for the past ten minutes the link to her thread pulls up a blank page, hence the new thread.)  I'm that way about fresh cut grass since I grew up in a city, just one step away from farm labor.  More than anything, such a smell reminds me of getting ready to play baseball or football...since the grass was always freshly cut for such events.

Ever since reading her story this morning I have been spending my time at the the link shown below reading about The Story of Beaumont, my hometown, when I got a good chuckle from an excerpt in the story about the Alligator Circuit, and thought I'd pass it on here.  It's about a preacher back in the 1850s whose circuit covered what is today known as Deep East Texas.  (BTW, there are some great stories about Texas history history at the links.)

Excerpts:

"The general seeing my obstinacy, lent me a big American horse and a colored man to accompany me. We reached a settlement six miles ahead, called Turtle Bayou, where I spent three days. Here they lent me a donkey. It took a whole day to reach the next settlement, fifteen miles distant, En route from there to Beaumont I saw a board stuck in the mud, bearing the following inscription, 'Sour Lake.'

"A few miles below Beaumont I found a Mr. Chiasson, with his numerous family and his father, aged 103 years, who was as deaf as a post. I had to hear the old man's confession half a mile from the house behind a bush he was so deaf. One day I wanted to cross the Neches river, but had spent my last penny for an old horse. I told the ferryman to choose between prayer and preaching for his fee. `Well, pray for my family,' he answered and invited me to take dinner with him."

http://mykindred.com/wiess/st-o-b/14-The-Alligator-Circuit.php

http://mykindred.com/wiess/st-o-b/index.php



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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • susie

    Interesting read. I thought it was just me. Don't know what happened to my post. Yep, blank, nothing, nada, zilch.

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  • kimi
    susie said:

    Interesting read. I thought it was just me. Don't know what happened to my post. Yep, blank, nothing, nada, zilch.

    Good Morning, Susie!   Loved your post!!!   I also got that way about fresh cut hay as well...but the memory of such seems to have been strongest for the ball playing days gone by.  Hopefully, your story will be back up soon!
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  • susie

    We shall see. Rather weird.

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  • Wild Turkey
    Problem with the smell of hay is it reminds me of the smell of my brothers and I after a day of loading hay on the trucks.

    All depends on your point of view ;)
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  • Bubba Jr.
    I always loved the smell of fresh cut hay. There is quite a bit of it grown around here. About 3-4 years ago I was driving to town and passed a farmer out cutting hay. It smelled so good I pulled over to the side of the road and just sat there luxuriating in the aroma. It was 10 minutes well spent. :D
    3
  • Old-Colts
    I hated the smell of fresh cut hay because I was one of about five of us hauling the damn stuff! However, we earned a little spending money and it sure got us in shape for two-a-day football practices!!!!  :D
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